I was thrilled when International LGBT nonprofit, Out and Equal contacted me with news that I was one of their 2018 Champion Award Honorees. This was such an honor to be recognized by an organization so widely respected for changing corporate cultures. This makes me think about the first corporate education I started doing right during job interviews 10 years ago. I made the decision to stop lying to myself and allow my authenticity to shine. This came with mixed reactions from potential employers from we don’t hire people like you, to you have the wrong address, to you don’t have an interview today. My first few interviews were really bad as I ignored the big pink elephant in the room… me being transgender. Then I began educating these employers and saw immediate changes in the type of conversation I was having, this at some point, included me sharing my status as a transgender woman, and what that means. This education not only began a dialogue for these companies it also led me to finally find the right employer for me and started my ascend with a great company. So thank you Out and Equal for helping me and so many others in moving the dialogue of inclusion forward!
Ashley T Brundage 